So, you know by now that I’m the clean one in my house. But, it’s still a constant battle to keep things from piling up and messing up our rather limited living space. Sometimes the stuff seems like it’s living there more than we are!

So, I did some research and tested out some ways to de-clutter, free up space in the house, and feel a lot better. Even my girlfriend and roommates got on board with it.

Here are the top seven clutter busting tips I use, and I hope you can put them into action too:

Find a place for every item – One reason things pile up on counters, tables, and floors is that they have no “home”. Make sure everything lives somewhere. Do you have a lot of important files you need to keep, but don’t have room? Then, you might want to consider a safe off-site location.

Play Clutter Cop – Scan your home for clutter hot spots and spend some time figuring out why stuff accumulates there. The better you are about keeping things out of these hot spots, the less likely things will pile up. (Hint: If you’re a collector and are running out of room to keep or display your stuff, you might want to consider storing some of it in a climate controlled storage facility and rotating the items you want to show).

Hold off on container shopping – Clutter victims often think the first thing they need is organizing products. STOP and do some de-cluttering first. Get rid of the things you absolutely hate or will never use. Then get some good storage containers for sentimental items you want to keep but don’t have a lot of room for and things you only use periodically. These are perfect to keep in a Newbury Park storage unit.

Dump duplicates – Why have two power saws when one is enough? Why have six flashlights or 17 coffee mugs? Throwing out or donating duplicates is one of the easiest ways to get rid of clutter.

Look for simple clutter control solutions – Do you run a home business and keep a lot of samples, supplies, equipment, or inventory? Storing these items outside of your home will be a lot easier and make your business more manageable.

Weed out your wardrobe – Odds are your closet is filled with stuff you rarely wear. Sort through your clothes, decide what you want to keep and donate the rest. If you have seasonal clothes or things you’ll fit into again soon, you might want to use wardrobe boxes and other types of specialty storage boxes to hold onto them.

Stick to a schedule – Some spaces need daily de-cluttering (refer to Tip 2). But, others can be tackled weekly or monthly. Put your periodic de-cluttering tasks on your calendar just like other appointments.

Remember, it’s all about the attitude. It’s OK to be the “Clutter Cop” around your house. Everyone will be happier-really. See you soon!

This was a guest post from Dion, a member of The Clean Team™ here at Hollywood Storage Center. Dion is an expert on “all things storage” and he prides himself on learning the best home cleaning tips. Thanks, Dion! Readers: Post you own favorite de-cluttering tips below, or on Facebook!

I can’t imagine a better place for winter than the Conejo Valley. A little bit of rain, and a lot of 70 degree temps! However, it is still cold & flu season, so it’s a great time to avoid germs by doing some winter cleaning. We were talking about this here at the Hollywood Storage Center of Thousand Oaks with The Clean Team™, so I thought I’d pass along my top five tips.

+ Check your rain gutters and clear them of leaves, twigs, and debris. It’s important to keep gutters clean so they won’t clog and drive water under the house eaves… and into your walls. That’s a recipe for unhealthy mold and yuck!

+ Dust the heating vents and even unused fans around the house. This will help make sure the air in your home is nice and clean. Oh, and don’t forget to replace the furnace filter while you’re at it! Air filters for furnaces are rated by level of efficiency. The higher the rating, the better the filter is at removing dirt, mold spores, and pet dander.

+ Clean your mattresses to get rid of the sweat, mildew, dirt, oils, trace chemicals, and even pollen that collects in there when we don’t even realize it. Start by vacuuming the top and then sprinkling it well with baking soda. Rub it in with a stiff-bristled brush, let it sit for 10 minutes, and then vacuum it up. Next, flip the mattress and do the same on the other side. When you’re done, I suggest getting washable mattress covers. It makes cleaning much easier and prevents icky substances from absorbing into the mattress in the first place!

+ Wash the blankets that everyone likes to throw on the couch and take a vacuum to the couch itself (a HEPA-filter one, if possible). Remember to vacuum underneath the couch, where lots of dust typically collects.

+ Wipe your cell phone with an antibacterial wipe that has alcohol and benzethonium chloride — a combo that works super-well against nasty stuff like staph and salmonella. And wipe down those TV remotes too.

Oh, and don’t forget: Keeping your home free of clutter keeps everything cleaner and is healthy for your state of mind too! So, if you need some breathing room to rotate belongings or hold onto items that you don’t use every day, come by and take a look at one of our clean, affordable storage units. We’ll help you pick the best space for your needs, and beat all storage deals everyday. Have a happy, healthy year!

This was a guest post from Dion, a member of The Clean Team™ here at Hollywood Storage Center. Dion an expert on “all things storage” and he prides himself on learning the best home cleaning tips. Thanks, Dion! Readers: Post your own favorite seasonal cleaning ideas below, or on Facebook!

Hey guys! Amanda here! Even though I spend my days at Hollywood Storage Center, I often find myself tackling storage projects at home on the weekend — and this last weekend was no exception.

If you’re anything like me, you like to add a bit of flare and style to everything in your home — even your storage! So I thought it would be fun to kick off the new year by sharing these super-stylish Free Printable Storage Labels. They’re perfect for helping you organize things in your house or office, maybe some of them could even work in your storage unit space. There are 23 different types of labels (!) that can be customized and used for just about everything. Thankfully, there are some that are sized to fit right into those clear luggage tags you can find at Target. What an easy way to help prevent wear and tear. I also recommend printing them out on card stock to make ‘em extra durable.

I ended up using some cool matching ribbons to tie the labels to my various storage containers for a little extra “oomph,” but you can also use some twine (very “shabby chic”) or just some plain ol’ string (but make sure it’s relatively strong).

I also asked some friends — including a few moms — how they’d use these labels, and together we came up with these awesome suggestions:

+ I love the idea of using the labels for candy, cookie, and dog treat containers. There’s no end to how cute and funky you can make ‘em! (Bonus: You’ll never mistake a cookie tin for a doggie treat tin again.)

+ The labels come in three different colors, which is a great way to help separate and organize items. Last year, I found that separating holiday decorations by color is super helpful when packing and unpacking from storage…

+ Have kids that all play the same sport and constantly mix up their equipment? Use the labels to set up personalized bins for each kid and eliminate the guessing game!

Seriously, there’s no end to what these labels can be used for … I’m kinda bummed I only found them recently… I could’ve been labeling things before 2015! LOL! Hope these helped you as much as they’ve already helped me…

This was a guest post from Amanda, a Storage Consultant here at Hollywood Storage Center – Newbury Park where we’ll beat any deal. She’s one of the friendly folks you might meet when you look into one of our self-storage units. Thanks, Amanda!

Readers: Do you have a unique way of labeling your storage? Share with us on Facebook, or post about it below!

Please also bring some joy to local children in need by donating new, unwrapped toys and gifts. Holiday presents will be given directly to children in Thousand Oaks, ages 1 month to 17 years, through non-profit Play Conejo. Donations are being accepted every day from 8:30 am to 6 pm through Dec. 20 in our storage lobby at 3425 Old Conejo Road in Newbury Park.

Play Conejo, in partnership with the Conejo Recreation and Park District, provides positive programming to students whose families survive at a household income level of just 20-50% of the area median.